Iowa State will be down two starting safeties heading into the offseason, as redshirt junior Malik Verdon announced on Saturday he'll be entering the NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Verdon joins Beau Freyler, who's graduating, as first-team safeties the Cyclones will lose going into 2025.

In his third full season of playing time, Verdon recorded 76 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles and one interception. He was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by coaches.

However, the Ohio native was limited by a wrist injury late in the past two seasons. He battled through the latest one in 2024, but missed much of the Big 12 Championship Game and all of the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

He played in 27 career games with the Cyclones, finishing with 134 tackles and three interceptions.

With Verdon and Freyler moving on, Jeremiah Cooper is the lone returning starter back in the cardinal and gold. However, the depth chart is loaded at the safety position. Ta'Shawn James, Marcus Neal, Jamison Patton and Drew Surges have received an abundance of the snaps off the bench and are likely to compete for the two open starting spots.